what's up everyone welcome to yoga with
Adriene I'm Adriene and today we have
some yoga tips so this is a question
that comes up a lot I wanted to tackle
it today and we're going to get started
right away so transitioning from
downward dog to lunge lunge to downward
dog
how ever can we do it especially quickly
in a flow class or vinyasa in a way that
doesn't hurt our wrists and shoulders
let's play so the real answer to this
question is that it just takes time
right integrating the body but we kind
of have to know the cues and the things
to pay attention to in order to grow our
practice in a way in which we can do
that so what that means is we have to
create a full body experience so we
can't just go straight to the downward
dog here in my opinion we need to start
with a little cat-cow to open up through
the front body to open up through the
back body to begin this conversation
with the hands which is super important
for this conversation for this question
and also with the feet take one more
with your breath inhaling as you drop
the belly to your mat exhaling as you
draw the navel to the spine tucking the
tail awesome then curl your toes under
and send it up and back to downward
facing dog
same thing pedal it out here and
consider the space that you're creating
in the side body so you might shift the
hips a little left to right then send
your awareness to your hands notice if
your hands are starting to come up here
if you can press into all 10 knuckles
firmly in particular the space between
your index finger and thumb draw the
shoulder blades in and together down the
back body create space between the ears
and shoulders these are all super
important things as we work on getting
that leg up and into our lunge
gracefully and swiftly in time
great then take one more deep breath in
here this time bend your knees take a
big inhale in and then exhale lower back
to all fours awesome if
need to take a quick rest off the wrist
please do and then we're going to come
to all fours once again so tapping into
the core is kind of the biggest thing
when taking our leg all the way up into
the earth excuse me all the way up to
the sky and then all the way up and
through to the earth we have to activate
the core it's not just about swinging
that leg up in it that's why you know we
end up kind of coming short and why we
end up having to use our hand which is
totally fine which sometimes we do for
our whole life our whole practice but
what we want to do is engage the core as
much as possible so to play with that
and again know no judgment every body is
different so your solution to this
problem or the answer to this question
is going to be a little different for
everyone but let's just play have some
fun that's the beauty of the home
practice is like we get the time and the
opportunity to do this together so we're
going to play with that by lighting that
fire in your belly
lighting kind of sparking that match in
the center ok and we're going to let
this radiate and heat up a little bit so
don't give up stick with it stick with
me we're going to come to all fours
wrists underneath the shoulders knees
directly underneath the hips
first things first press away from your
yoga mat in downward dog there's a
tendency to crash into the front body so
we're going to practice here already
pressing away from the earth finding
this yielding sensation and then drawing
the shoulders away from the ears so if
you're collapsed here here's an example
of the negatory see if you can press
away create space neck nice and long
then stack knees directly underneath the
hip points press into the tops of the
feet inhale in exhale lift the knees let
them hover inhale lower exhale lift the
knees let them hover see if you can
maintain the space in the shoulder so if
you're here you're trying to lift
I have no power there it sucks so bad
maintain the space you created here and
lift the knees breathing out lower as
you breathe in let's do two more exhale
lift
doesn't have to be a big lift here you
go just nice and low inhale at the
bottom exhale draw the navel up lift the
knees this time stay here notice that
shake that heat that prana that starts
to flow and we feel like okay from the
crown of the head to the tip of the
tailbone I'm alive and awake and I'm
pressing up and out of my foundation
cultivating all this energy in my Center
gathering it up in my core to create a
full body experience great slowly
release curl the toes under take a seat
back and rest whoo shake it off
maybe massage the wrist rotate one way
in the knee other and then we'll return
to all fours so that same integration of
the center of the core energy is now
what we're going to bring our awareness
to in downward facing dog so we'll come
back to all fours when you're ready send
the hips up high nice and long in the
side body now same thing that you did on
all fours press away from your yoga mat
so you can bend the knees and literally
look forward press away bend the knees
as generously as you need to here and
then engage the belly draw the navel up
towards the spine
great from here we'll lift the right leg
up high
see if you can notice your lower belly
kind of growing soft here and see if you
can hug the lower ribs in engage the
belly just like you did in hovering
table great from here bend the right
knee squeeze it in we're back to that
hovering table here as you hover
cultivate all this energy in the core
from here send it back three-legged dog
now rather than thinking about stepping
your right foot up and into your lunge
think about moving your center of
gravity up towards the front edge of
your mat draw a big line all the way up
and over with your Center so my Center
is moving in my leg is just following
following following and then I'll step
it up in it I'm on the ball of my back
foot I this is as far as I ate Rhian
made it maybe you made it this far maybe
you made it this far just notice how far
you made it
and the lower the back knee and come up
off the wrist for a second so you might
seem you might be like well I already
knew that connect my Center but it's
that practice it's like slowing it down
and actually thinking about what's
moving here am I trying to just
taskmaster bring my right foot up or can
I lead with my Center I guess what I'm
trying to say can i cultivate this
energy in the belly so that I'm actually
taking my center forward and the leg
just comes to follow let's try on the
other side Platt home step the right
toes back lift the hips downward-facing
dog go through your checklist foundation
that action of drawing the shoulders
away from the ears pressing away from
the earth and when you're ready lift the
leg up high bring your awareness
cultivate energy to your Center this
radiating ball of light right here
enable to spine or maybe by the solar
plexus just above then squeeze the left
knee up and in hover here remember that
hovering cat cat whoo-hoo
awakening full body then take it all the
way back up
then here we go we're going to imagine
taking our center of gravity all the way
forward think up and over Center is
moving forward Center first leg just
comes to follow and then I'll step it up
great just notice where you made it
today
smile lower the back knee come off the
wrist so really paying attention to the
alignment kind of that action in
alignment marriage so that you're
creating a full body experience so that
you're not just trying to sling one body
part up to the front of your mat for the
lunge but rather moving as one connected
part right so rather than all these
parts one moving part okay well plant
the palms curl the toes under send it
back one more time downward facing dog
one thing that I helps I think really
helps with this transition for me and
this just overall integration of core to
my limbs and moving is one moving
breathing part is these downward dog to
plank hurdles now these can be too
right for a second these can be kind of
tough if you're new to the practice
because they're very strengthening they
do rely on upper body bodybuilding but I
love them because for that very same
reason they're not just about building
strengthening the arms there it's really
about cultivating strength from the
soles of your feet all the way through
the awareness of the crown so this is
how it goes
we'll just do a couple and then you can
practice on your own we'll come to
downward facing dog
go through your checklist find your
breath press away from your yoga mat
careful not to lock the elbows a little
soft buoyancy here is helpful and soften
in the knees speaking of buoyancy find a
little bounce here come on to the toes
and lift the hips up hot draw a line
with your Center all the way up and over
as if it were climbing or jumping over a
hurdle soaring over a hurdle then you
might have to widen your alignment here
so you come to a nice plank breathe in
then same thing draw a line with your
Center so imagine if I had a big
flashlight hanging from my navel here a
little bell you would see it travel up
and over don't worry about getting the
heels down here worry about am i moving
from my Center up and over great full
body strengthener to plank then up and
over back downward-facing dog
engage navel to spine and back holy
schmoly let's do one more navel draws in
and up it's a plank and in an up draw
line back up and over the hurdle
downward facing dog
great take a deep breath in deep breath
out as you lower the knees and shake it
off so that attention to detail on the
action alignment that creating space in
the downward-facing dog literally in the
side body in the shoulders finding that
inner spiral the thighs you can go check
out the foundations of downward facing
dog to go a little more in-depth there
and then again just thinking about if
you can move from your Center
moving from your Center so the center's
moving actually first and then the leg
comes to follow your leg might not get
all the way up when you're moving from
your Center so you need to be where your
body is at today you need to be with
your body and be on your own team and if
that's the case and it only comes to
here and you're moving with your Center
take your hand
gracefully step the foot up yeah cool so
together we're working on transitions
we'll do more yoga tips more transitions
as the weeks grow long free vidi yoga
videos every Wednesday I love it when
people ask questions I love that we're
having a conversation you know I always
say that you know this channel is what
it is because of the conversation that
we're having makes it special makes it
different and it really inspires me and
hopefully inspires you to actually keep
returning to your mat to have an actual
experience and instead of this whole you
know walk so awesome work everyone
thanks for the questions thanks for the
conversation I'll see you next week
take good care namaste